Much has been said about the Barbenheimer weekend and the theater experience of going to see both Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie in one sitting. This viral theater-going experience is a treat for moviegoers, and provides inspiring evidence that movie theaters have not died quite yet. However, this phenomenon has buried some fantastic films that happened to be released at the same time — the main one being THEY CLONED TYRONE, a sci-fi/thriller from debut director/writer Juel Taylor that serves as an incredible homage to Blaxploitation films of the 70s. The film dropped on Netflix during the same day Barbenheimer weekend began, leaving it ignored by mainstream audiences despite the widespread critical acclaim it is receiving. Taylor’s film is a highly original and engaging thriller akin to the recent Sorry to Bother You, and boasts a fantastic principal cast and sharp social commentary.
John Boyega plays Fontaine, a drug dealer who travels around his neighborhood making deals and demanding others pay their fair share. In the beginning, Taylor follows Fontaine for a day as he creates friends and enemies with his business transactions. Then, at the end of the day he is killed. End of movie, right? Nope. He wakes up in his bed the next morning as if nothing happened, with no recollection of the events that occurred the night before. The day continues normally with Fontaine continuing with his normal business, until he encounters a former pimp (the legendary Jamie Foxx) who witnessed his “death” the previous night. After the two consult a sex worker (Teyonah Parris) who also claims she heard gunshots and saw the perpetrators fleeing the scene, Fontaine drags them with him to track down the men who supposedly killed him.
What they find is leagues beyond anything they could ever have imagined, and unveils a conspiracy that not only affects them, but everyone in the neighborhood they live in. Taylor’s film combines a number of genres to create a unique experience, including neo-noir, action, political thriller, sci-fi and more. The result is a gripping and oddly hilarious adventure that is in some ways outlandish, and in other ways all too real. The main plot elements, despite being science-fiction in nature, feel grounded in reality because of how similar they are to actual crimes that the United States has perpetrated against its own citizens (if I go into more detail, it will spoil some surprises). Essentially, Taylor has much to say about the US government’s treatment of its Black communities, and how the white establishment of this country purposely keeps them as an “other” that never interacts with the beautiful, pristine suburbs of the rich.
The first half of the movie, despite the incredibly potent subject matter, is filled with laughs, mainly from Foxx and Parris. Both actors have great comedic chemistry, constantly filling suspenseful moments with nervous laughter. Because of the standout humor in this film, it is easy for audience members to latch onto these characters and their personalities, even if every single detail of their past is not shared. However, the emotional core of the film comes from Boyega, who proves to the haters once and for all that he is not just a side character in Star Wars. His character endures some existential discoveries that cause him to challenge his identity and his world, and Boyega embodies this role, often becoming unrecognizable as the movie progresses. In the latter half of the film, Boyega undertakes some particularly challenging tasks as an actor that are not only shocking, but impressive feats that not every actor could effectively pull off.
One of the most interesting things about THEY CLONED TYRONE is how most of the messaging is delivered through subtext instead of overt explanation. The film works as a surface-level thriller, but it mostly thrives as an allegory for America’s hateful rhetoric towards Black people. However, this strength becomes somewhat of a weakness for certain scenes, because the focus is placed so strongly on the concept and message that plot events either are not explained or leave gaps in logic. The strong message compared to the believability of the surface-level plot is similar to Jordan Peele’s Us — the concept and message are powerful and invigorating, but thinking about the plot as a whole for too long reveals some holes.
But to his credit, Taylor seems more preoccupied with the experience and tone of the film rather than ironing out every single wrinkle, which makes for a far more subjective and thought-provoking viewing experience. Creativity and talent is brimming all throughout THEY CLONED TYRONE, and the fact that it got dumped on Netflix with little fanfare is robbing the movie of the attention it deserves.With direction from Taylor and cinematography from Ken Seng, the pseudo-comedy and dark thriller combination makes this debut feature an astonishingly great start to their careers.
A-
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